Debera Bragg in Shelbyville, Indiana left this inquiry last week in a comment on the blog post “Naming Your Private Practice.”
I have been in private practice as a sole proprietor for about 4 years now. My only website is on Psychology Today, which I am pleased with. I am also contracted with most major insurances and Employee Assistance Programs.
At times, I have wondered if I would benefit from having a personalized webpage/website. I am pretty busy in my practice now but would like to grow a little more in providing group therapy and/or doing speaking engagements. (just to add some variety to my life and diversify offerings)
Any thoughts on the website issue?”
Good for you, Deb, for being so busy with just a directory listing! The first thing you should know is that when you are “pretty busy” is exactly when you need to be marketing your practice (rather than waiting until there is a slump in your business). Good for you for addressing that now.
And, then the question that you are asking . . . “Is Psychology Today (or any other online directory listing) enough?” And, at the risk of sounding a little flippant, I would ask . . . “Enough for what?”
Yes! It’s Absolutely Enough for . . . .
The short answer is it’s absolutely enough . . . for a hobby. If your interest in private practice is about helping clients but not about making a decent income . . . . If it’s about claiming that you have a private practice but don’t really care how many clients you see . . . it’s definitely enough.
But . . for Your Business?!
Here’s what you need to know . . . what ALL of you need to know . . . . An online directory listing is not a website. If you are really lucky, it’s a web page but it’s not a professional website. And, therein lie the problems (plural).
I do understand all the reasons you may have chosen to have a directory listing and thought it might be enough. It’s about money . . . and it’s about fear . . . and . . . and . . . and . . . . And, what that decision is not about is reality. So here’s the real deal . . . .
It doesn’t look professional.
It doesn’t look like you are serious about your work.
It doesn’t look stable.
You blend in with the masses.
And, it doesn’t look credible.
Think about it. It’s not likely that you would search for an accountant, an attorney, or a web designer – three professionals that every therapist will need at some point – and rely solely on a directory (or two or three) listing(s). You would search . . . probably for the profession and your hometown. And, then you would expect to find a professional, customized website. That’s what your clients expect from you.
I know that appearances can be deceiving and you may very well be professional, serious about your work, incredibly stable, etc. However, if your audience doesn’t “get” that message when they search for you online, it doesn’t really matter what the reason is . . . . They will go elsewhere.
Hi Tamara! Just wanted to add that this (as you know) is a topic we covered in a guest post I did for you a few months back. So Debera can find more information in that article,
How You Can Create a Professional, Flexible Website.
In that post, we talk about some of the other therapist profile/website options, and why your own customized website is a better choice.
Thanks!
Beth
Thank you so much for dropping in today to remind me. I had meant to link back to that in my comment and obviously got sidetracked! Oh, the joys of job security and menopause!
Thanks, Beth! How’s that book tour working for ya?
Book marketing is going great, although I’m not sure I would call it an official book tour! I’m having a blast doing tons of guest posts (and writing as a staff writer for Copyblogger, too). Life is GOOD. 🙂
haha – I figure as long as you are going around face to face or online talking about Pinfluence, you are on a tour! I’m still finding nuggets in there for me! My consulting clients are thrilled with it, too. You’ve made marketing fun for them!
Hey, didn’t realize the gig with Copyblogger! That way cool, too! Congrats to you! I’ll be checking you out!
Hey, Beth, I’ve been reminding the gang here to put their “little me” pictures i.e. gravatars up and noticed that yours has fallen off. Consider this a nudge:)
Hi Tamara,
I completely agree with your strong statement that a personal website is necessary. I looked for a therapist for myself a while back, and the ones who had *any* website were the ones I called first.
You can get a website up by yourself that looks better than a directory listing for next to nothing and in not much time. Yes, you can spend a lot of time/money on building a website, but putting up a site is a huge first step.
Thanks, Rachelle, for dropping in today to add your thoughts here. And, by the way, yours is a lovely example of a WordPress.com site! Hope others drop in there to check it out. You’ve done a lot of things right.
Over half of my clients find me via my website. I’m on a list of child therapists for a couple of school districts and I often have parents tell me they decided to call me because I was one of the few listed who had a web site. They didn’t want to cold call a therapist without knowing something about them first.
Yep! I hear the same thing every day. I knew for 5 years that I needed to put up a website before I found the courage and commitment to put one up. It was the single best decision I ever made for my practice. It made me look professional and it made me feel professional, too!
I totally agree with your comments about therapy being a business. Our prospective clients are going to search the web for therapists the same way we search the web for everything. We are going to look for reviews, for opinions, for “gut” feelings–most importantly for things that describe who we are and what we do. Excellent blog!!!
Hi, Jeff! Thanks so much for dropping in here this afternoon and sharing your thoughts and kind words! I hope you’ll drop back in often to pick up a little information and inspiration to grow your practice and leave a little information and inspiration, too!
Tamara, you are so right. I definitely noticed a difference in how I was perceived when I created a new website that focused on my new book, rather than folding it into a general website. It may take effort that’s ongoing, but it’s worth it!
Nancy Bruning, MPH
Author and Fitness Leader
Nancy! How kind of you to drop in here to check out my website! Although it is technically focused on psychotherapists, many allied health professionals and soloprenuers also hang out here. It was lovely to run across your fresh twist of a niche on your website. (Gang, she’s an exercise and fitness coach who has created a one-of-a-kind niche in “Nancercizing!”) I’m not going to say much more than that . . . . Hopefully, I’m leaving this online community just curious enough to go check out your website and learn from your own marketing-savvy ways!
And, I forgot to say “Congrats to you” on that new book, Nancy! It’s a fresh approach (with a beautiful cover I might add) on a subject that we can all apply at home!
I hope you’ll drop back in often to chat here. I’ll be back to your blog soon to learn from you, too!
Tamara,
I think we can all learn from each other. Your blog looks to be a treasure trove of useful info. Can’t wait to explore further.
Thanks for your kind words about my work–you “get” it!. So many people say they don’t like to exercise–what they really don’t like is the exercising they get in a gym. Bring ’em outdoors into a park and everything changes! Being in nature has its own rewards and health benefits–most of them have to do with improving mood, reducing stress, uplifting the spirit, clearing the mind…see how much you and I have in common? In fact, parks are now being considered to be part of the health care system.
I would be delighted to send you a copy of the ebook when it is available; in the meantime, I hope you enjoyed the free video on my website.
Nancy
Oh, Nancy! How kind of you. I hope you will prowl around Private Practice from the Inside Out, use what you find to be useful, tweak what needs tweaking to fit your own style, and toss the rest away! And, if you have colleagues who can benefit from our community, please do share it with them, too.
I will definitely take you up on an offer for that ebook! And, happy to tell others about it, too!
Tamara,
We health providers all need to take care of our own health too! so, follow your own advice to me and take from my video and book what’s useful and toss the rest. But, really, who wouldn”t benefit from a walk in the park with a few strengthening and stretching exercises thrown in? My real goal is to start up ini-communities of people who exercise in the park together. A kind of “democratization” of fitness.
Nancy
Nancy, that’s so true and it’s a message that professional caretakers just can’t hear often enough. Love it!
Hey, Nancy – I meant to tell you . . . . If you want to have a “little me” picture show up next to your comments (here and elsewhere), here’s how to do it! Would love to see your smiling face here!
Tamara,
I completely agree with what you said about having a website separate from our directory listings. I have had great success with “weeding out” people who are not my “ideal client” by them becoming familiar with my personality, services, areas of specialty and fees before they contact me. It saves up both valuable time! My website gets me lots of exposure to people who might look past me on my directory listing too!
Carolyn, you make a really good point. Having a website that clearly and accurately represents the work you do and the benefits of working specifically with you is really another point of service for your clients and potential clients. And, one of the benefits of such a site is that the right clients find their way to you (rather than the clients who are right for someone else). I hadn’t quite thought of that. It saves everyone some of that “valuable time!”
Of course, Carolyn, it doesn’t hurt that you’ve put up a lovely website, too!:) Thanks for dropping in this evening to chat! Hope all is well in Atlanta!
Thanks Tamara! Is is always a work in progress! I have an Amazon store and a page with video and audio content that will go live in a few weeks. I always value feedback since having a website is new to me! Any words of wisdom would be appreciated!
All is well in Atlanta, we had a beautiful view of the meteor shower last night!
As always thank you for helping us to all be more effective at what we do!
You are so welcome, Carolyn! You might want to leave the URLs so that others can find you and offer their feedback:)
Oh great idea!! It is http://www.carolyntuckertherapist.com. I would value feedback on what I can do to cause people to take action and call or schedule an appt, not just look!
Thanks Tamara!!
Carolyn, the minute I hit “Submit Reply” I had a twinge of regret. I recommend that everyone get as much feedback as they can about their websites and directory listings. However, you should also know the source of that feedback and weigh it carefully.
It’s been well over a year I think since I ran across a discussion list hosted on LinkedIn that is a great example of where you don’t want your feedback to come from . . . . It’s geared toward mental health professionals (and maybe coaches) and says something like “If you are wanting feedback about your website, leave your URL here. Critique 2-3 other websites and others will do the same for you.” I was intrigued by the collaborative nature of the “offer” and so spent a good bit of time reading what other folks has submitted. When the same gal kept offer very detailed feedback with dated and inaccurate advice to individuals about how to “optimize websites for search engines,” I got suspicious. I did a little research, asked a few questions, and discovered that she has nothing to do with mental health other than trolling for business for her own web design company!
Now don’t get me wrong . . . if the information had been (1) current and (2) accurate and if she had (3) been up front about who she is and (4) what she does so that I knew that she was not a mental health professional, I would have welcomed her to host that discussion and offer her tech-related feedback. But, none of that happened (or I should say is still happening). Instead, I see gullible therapists with good intentions naively asking for feedback from someone they believe to be an expert. And, they are getting wrong information and, I suspect, quite a few are doling out their hard-earned money to this gal and never even knowing that they are being sold information that is not really helping them out.
So . . . Carolyn . . . . this is just a reminder to solicit all of the feedback you can get BUT REMEMBER . . . not all feedback is equal:) Best wishes to you on your journey!
Very wise advice, Tamara! Thank you!
You are so welcome!